News and Events

Distinguished University Professor Jane Fountain (political science and public policy) spoke about cybersecurity during the Chatham House London Conference, hosted on June 1 and 2 by Chatham House, the Royal Institute of International Affairs.

We are pleased to announce that Enobong (Anna) Hannah Branch, Professor of Sociology, is now serving as the SBS Director of Diversity Advancement. A scholar interested in race, racism, and inequality, she will be working to promote excellence and diversity in SBS among faculty, undergraduate and graduate students, and staff.

Nicole Malinowski ’16 (economics) was the Chief Curator of the TEDx talk that came to UMass in April. Among the many featured speakers were Jeffrey Donovan, UMass alumnus and star of USA Network’s “Burn Notice,” Richard Jadick, doctor of the Iraq War, and Withelma Ortiz Walker Pettigrew, one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People for 2014.

Nia Decaille’s many leadership roles on campus earned her the Senior Leadership Award this year. “It means a lot to me because I learned from so many great leaders, who are also people of color on campus,” she says. “This award really goes to those before my who taught me how to lead.”

"For me, this award is a recognition of why community-engaged learning is, and should be, one of the pillars of UMass's Strategic Plan for the development of a well-educated, civically-minded population," says Associate Professor Ellen Pader (regional planning). "I'm continually awed by the thirst so many students have for classes that guide them in their quest to be agents of positive social change, and how willing they are to grapple deeply with emotionally and intellectually difficult subjects in order to attain that goal."

Nancy Lattinville, Finance and Personnel Assistant in the Economics Department, and Debra Madigan, Office Manager in the Communication Department, have been recognized by their peers as being 2015 Outstanding Staff Members.

The Center for Research on Families has announced its Spring 2015 Research Grant and Award Recipients. Sixteen talented students, two of whom are SBS students, received awards in six categories to support family research for a total of nearly $50,000 awarded.

Jonathan Rosa, Assistant Professor in the Department of Anthropology, has been awarded the Ford Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship. He will be in residence at Northwestern University’s Latina/o Studies Program for the 2015-2016 academic year.